Charlie exhaled. ‘Cora seems to think so. They’re going to get around the table next Wednesday and hammer out a contract.’
‘Wow…’ Holly put a hand to her mouth, and then she turned back to Rachel, who’d come to collect her bag before heading off. ‘We did it, sis. The three of us. We did it.’ Quickly she filled Rachel in on the details of the text from Cora Mellish.
Rachel, clearly unable to speak, nodded. As she did so, the tears fell. Charlie, who’d had such a tense day himself, felt near to the edge as well. He watched as Holly turned and enveloped her sister in a warm, tearful hug.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Rachel said once Holly had released her. ‘This is the best, best news.’
‘Cora also says that, subject to contract, it’s going to be rushed through over the summer recess, if she can swing it, which means the first tranche of medications should reach patients by September.’
Rachel shook her head. ‘That’s amazing. It’s going to make such a difference, Charlie. I can’t think you enough.’ She started. ‘Can I tell Mum and Dad?’
‘Of course, but try not to put it on Twitter until it’s officially public.’
‘Thank you,’ Rachel said. ‘I’d better go.’
Charlie smiled a little shakily. ‘I’m so glad I could help.’ Then, he was nearly knocked sideways as Holly careered into him, wrapping her arms around him again so tightly he gasped for a breath he wasn’t sure he could draw without breaking down and crying himself. When she released him, she drew back so she could look into his eyes.
‘You once told me that in order to make a difference, you had to have the support and backup of the donors and those with the economic power. That whatever I did was fine, but it didn’t really make a difference.’ She paused, and he felt as though she was looking into his soul with her unnerving, direct gaze. ‘Do you still believe that?’
Charlie brushed a teardrop from Holly’s lower lashes. ‘We did this together,’ he said softly. ‘And that’s the way I always want to do things.’ He glanced around him at the punters in the pub, who, drawn by the drama unfolding in front of them, were all gazing in their direction, holding their drinks. Suddenly, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. There was a small voice telling him that it was too soon, that there was no way Holly would respond in the way he wanted, but a far bigger one was shouting at him to seize the day. If getting to know Holly, Rachel and Harry had taught him anything over the past couple of months, it was that he needed to seize the day: to make each one count.
‘You once told me you could never imagine being a politician’s wife,’ he said carefully. ‘That it would be too much, having to hold your tongue and toe the party line.’
‘Yes, I remember saying that,’ Holly replied wryly. ‘But then I say a lot of things.’
‘So, if I asked you, now, in front of all of these good people of Willowbury, to reconsider that opinion, and instead of holding your tongue, to give me your uncensored opinion on all things, do you think you might see your way to becoming a politician’s wife after all?’
‘Well,’ Holly replied, a teasing note in her voice. ‘That depends…’
‘On what?’ Charlie’s heart thumped.
‘I’m not really that keen on the name tag,’ she said. ‘So instead of me being a politician’s wife, perhaps you could see fit to be a shopkeeper’s husband instead. What do you say?’
Charlie laughed in relief. ‘I would say yes, yes and all things yes.’ He dipped his head and kissed her. ‘So long as the wedding ceremony is right here in Willowbury. I wouldn’t want to be accused of taking you away from your roots and principles.’
Holly cocked an eyebrow. ‘Are you sure? Weddings in Willowbury tend to be a little… alternative.’
‘I wouldn’t want it any other way,’ Charlie said. And the deal was sealed with a long, sweet kiss, and a cheer from the residents of the weirdest and wackiest town in Somerset.
Epilogue
Midsummer’s Day – A Year Later
The day could not have been planned any more perfectly, Holly reflected as she smoothed down the skirt of her ivory lace dress. The flower wreath in her hair, created for her by the florist on the High Street, was, for the moment, sitting nicely in her freshly curled dark red tresses. Eschewing any thoughts of a veil, the only other adornment to the dress was a long string of pearls, which trailed down the deep V of the dress’s back and were casually knotted to carry the weight. Despite her mother’s slight stiffening of her lip when she’d tried the dress on, one delicate wing of Holly’s shoulder tattoo peeked out as usual.
‘Are you ready?’ Rachel called from the other bedroom. ‘We’ll have to go in a minute.’
‘Yup, just finishing off,’ Holly replied, adjusting the stem of one of the early roses that sat in the wreath on top of her head.
Rachel appeared at the door of the bedroom, slightly flushed from having to wrestle the now four-year-old Harry into his shirt and trousers. An increasing bundle of energy as he grew older, in part due to the course of new medication that had made a huge difference to his life, he was turning out to be as wilful as his aunt Holly, and had expressed his opinion loudly on the choice and colour of his clothes.
‘You look amazing,’ Rachel sighed as she caught full sight of Holly.
‘It’s incredible what you can find second-hand on Gumtree!’ Holly quipped. ‘And you look pretty cool, too, Harry.’
Harry, who was still to be convinced over the bright purple trousers and white shirt he was wearing, giggled. ‘Mummy says I can put my shorts on after the wedding.’
‘Of course you can,’ Holly replied. ‘As long as you don’t forget to give me back my flower bouquet at the end of the ceremony.’ Holly hadn’t chosen any bridesmaids, so Harry was going to be official holder of flowers while the service was carried out.
At that moment, her phone pinged. Swiping the screen, she smiled. ‘Charlie’s arrived at the Priory.’
‘You’d better get going, then.’ Rachel hugged her sister but carefully enough so as not to dislodge the flowers in their hair.
They stepped out onto Willowbury High Street and were greeted by the sight of rows and rows of fabric bunting, which stretched from one shop front to the next, all the way to the Priory. With, Holly noted wryly, Fairbrothers Bakery being the dishonourable exception. Miles had shut up shop, claiming that he was off on holiday for the week. Holly didn’t believe in coincidence, but she let it lie. She’d found a far better baker for her wedding cake anyway.
‘I’m glad you insisted on sensible wedding shoes,’ Rachel said as she took her sister’s arm and began to wander up the street. As they passed the shop fronts, waves went up from those who were staying open during the wedding and joining them in the Priory gardens later. Holly’s parents were also meeting them at the ruins, and as they reached the Priory, Holly could see her father, looking as pleased as punch to be accompanying his daughter on her wedding day.
‘Are you ready?’ he asked softly as she reached his side.